FORT BENTON — A Fort Benton family made an unexpected friend last winter when an injured Great Horned Owl showed up at their front door; months later, they released the healthy owl back to his home and into the skies.
Pam Mann came home during a snowstorm in January to find an injured owl in her front yard. She was afraid of the owl at first and did not want to touch or move it, so, she began making calls to reach anyone that may be able to help the bird.
Meanwhile, the bird began to make its way into the enclosed porch, crawling with its wings and beak.
“It had obviously watched me go in and out of my porch door, which doesn't latch," Pam explains. "And he was halfway in the porch, so there was no way of pushing the door shut other than just opening it. And he did go in.”
Pam’s husband Jason is a teacher in Highwood and says as soon as the kids heard about the owl, they were instantly intrigued, even giving the owl a name - ‘Owlfred’.
“I told my students about it, and they were eager to learn more about owls in general, particularly great horned owls. And so I took a picture and brought it into school and showed it to my students the next day and they became emotionally invested in the welfare of this particular owl," Jason says, "They did some wonderful artwork of Owlfred, and they want to read about owls all the time and learn about various species. And all of a sudden we have some amateur ornithologists there at the school.”
Due to the weather, Owlfred stayed in the care of the Manns for a week before Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks could come pick him up.
During the week Owlfred stayed inside the Mann’s enclosed porch, he mostly hid away underneath furniture. They fed him a whole chicken that he pecked at for days, and slowly seemed to become stronger.
After a week, Owlfred was picked up and taken to Montana WILD’s wildlife center in Helena, which rehabilitates around scores of animals every year.
The veterinarian determined the owl had suffered some sort of spinal injury. Because of where he was found, the Manns believe it could have been the result of being electrocuted by nearby power lines. At the wildlife center, Owlfred received care and physical therapy to treat his injuries.
While Owlfred was in Helena, the Manns, and therefore the students, received regular updates on his progress. About seven months later, they finally got the call that he was ready to be released, and went to Helena to pick him up.
“When they are able to release them, they want to take them home to their territory where you found them because that's what they know. He knew right where he was and he flew right into a tree," Pam says. "It gave you goosebumps watching him, he was just like ‘yep, I'm home.’”
The students were able to watch the video of Owlfred’s return once school began this year.
Jason says, “The first day I came back to school I had a mob of kids coming up asking about Owlfred, and I was so happy that I got to show them the video of the release. There was much rejoicing and cheering there in the hallway of the school.”
Owls are monogamous, and they hope that Owlfred has been reunited with his mate. Owls also hoot to mark their territory. Pam and Jason say they look around to hopefully catch a glimpse of Owlfred, and listen closely to try to hear a hoot.
While in Fort Benton, keep an ear out for Owlfred. For more information on Montana WILD’s wildlife sanctuary, click here.
